In general, an insertion apparatus like an endoscope for a cavity has a flexible inserting section that is inserted into a sample to, for example, observe or treat a lesioned part in the sample, and an operating section which performs an operation to curve this inserting section in a UD direction and an RL direction. The operating section has a UD angle knob to perform an operation in the UD direction, and an RL angle knob to perform an operation in the RL direction. In the case of, e.g., observing or treating a lesioned part, the inserting section can be curved in the UD direction and the RL direction by operating the UD angle knob and the RL angle knob.
Further, among endoscopes, there is one that drives curving of a curving section in the UD direction and the RL direction by a motor.
For example, in an endoscope in International Publication No. 2012-074013, an inserting section can be curved in an up-and-down (UD) direction by a manual operation, and it can be curved in a left-and-right (RL) direction automatically by driving of a motor. An operating section has a knob for operations in the up-and-down (UD) direction and a dial for operations in the left-and-right (RL) direction.
For example, in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. H6-169883, an endoscope has a motor to curve a curving portion, a device to drive a motor in accordance with an operation amount, and a joystick to operate the device. In this endoscope, when fingers of a user are released from the joystick, the motor is driven to curve the curving section in a center direction, i.e., to decrease a curving angle.